Posted by Six points in a week have put a smile back on the face of Bristol Rovers boss Paul Trollope, after his side beat Gillingham 2-1 on Saturday.
Having ended a run of six straight defeats last weekend against Carlisle, this was another match Trollope identified as “winnable”.
A Chris Lines shot followed by a late Jeff Hughes penalty saw that prediction come true and lifted Rovers into seventh place in League One, just a point off the play-off positions.
“It’s pleasing to have won again,” Trollope told the official club website, “after we had identified the games against Carlisle and Gillingham as ones that were winnable.
“However you have to produce the things to get you victory, and we did that today. It wasn’t a classic, by any means, and the conditions, which were similar to last week, made it difficult for both teams.”
Lines put Rovers ahead after 17 minutes with a shot from 10 yards, but Gillingham levelled five minutes before the break through Andy Barcham.
Despite the horrendous weather, Rovers pressed on and were awarded a penalty on 81 minutes after Matt Fry was judged to have handled.
Jeff Hughes strokes the penalty home to set Rovers up for another big test on Tuesday when they travel to second-placed Charlton Athletic.
“Today’s results means that the league is tight, especially above us, so we go to Charlton on Tuesday with a lot of confidence,” said Trollope.
“It’s going to be a tough test, similar to the ones we faced against Norwich, Leeds, and MK Dons, as they are a quality side. They have been in the Premiership in recent seasons, so we are under no illusions about the task that faces us. But, after two wins, we are looking forward to it.”
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